Deepest Emotions
by Angelikyte Alexiel
Summary: Rinoa goes on vacation, still hurt by what happened to her last year. Meeting new people along the way, will she ever forget what happened?
1. Memories of Summer's Past

Deepest Emotions; Chapter One

_**Memories of Summer's Past**_

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the characters in this story (though I love Rinoa a lot!)

As Rinoa Heartilly stood on the beach, the wind blowing through her long, dark hair, she wondered what her summer would be like this year. Something always happened; no doubt about it. Every year, she went to new places, met new people, and, last year, she had even gotten a boyfriend.

'_Some boyfriend...'_ she scoffed to herself, remembering that dreaded sumer last year with Seifer.

Seifer Almasy was a hot-headed, stuck up, asshole. As far as Rinoa was concerned, every dictionary in print should have Seifer's name used for every insult known to man. He had seemed like a confident, amazing person; hell, she had thought him as hot, but, as she learned quickly, looks aren't everything.

Rinoa had been on vacation in a cabin in the woods, yet another property her father owned. There were a couple other cabins nearby; about a mile between the three of them total, and everyone who occupied the cabins liked walking the distance through the brush and trees to visit their neighbors. One of the cabins, of course, was owned by a wealthy man who had a son around Rinoa's age.

Everyone who owned property in the area vacationed at the exact same time. Whether it was considered safer, or they just enjoyed the small parties they could throw, it was almost an unspoken rule. But, that year was the first year Seifer decided to use the cabin, since his father would be on a trip for buisiness. So, when the first barbeque was being thrown, he went, not knowing anyone. And Rinoa, always polite and kind, walked up to the new person, and introduced herself, offering to show him around.

The first few nights were nice. They spent the day venturing out into the woods, and they spent the nights on the lake, looking out over the water, or up in the sky, talking. On the third day, Seifer kissed her. After the first week, he visited her cabin when everyone else was asleep. The second week, she would visit him. At first, everything seemed so wonderful to Rinoa. She thought maybe she was even in love. All she seemed to think about was Seifer.

One night, after almost a month, something seemed to change about Seifer. It was so odd to her; something was different, but she couldn't quite place her finger on what it was. Something about the way he held her now, the way her talked to her, some of the things he said, something about the way he kissed her now. His kisses used to be soft, sweet, and gentle, but now they were harsh, and he grabbed her to roughly, holding her so tightly, she felt trapped.

She didn't finally admit to herself that he was bad news until one of the last nights that she was on vacation. She had gone out into the woods alone for a bit, and was heading back when she heard giggling in the distance. Something about the laughter suggested something was going on.

_'Someone's having a little fun before they go home.'_ she thought, smirking wickedly, deciding that she wanted to take a peek and possibly embarrass someone. So, she quietly crept up on the site.

The laughter sounded more and more intimate as she came closer. Whoever it was hid behind bushes, so they wouldn't be so easily discovered. Rinoa grinned as she came closer.

_'Perfect!'_ she thought, certain she was going to catch a couple of adults trying to rekindle the romance in their relationship. When she looked on the other side of the bushes, she almost screamed in pain.

_Seifer was with another girl._

The fact that the girl was shirtless, and Seifer was groping around for the catch on her bra didn't help, either. They were a tangled mess on the ground; and, despite the fact that it didn't seem like they had gotten very far yet, it was already too much for Rinoa to bear.

As she backed away, trying not to make any noise at all, she fell back. Hot tears stung her eyes, and she continued backing up, on her hands and feet.

_'That fucking bastard!'_ she thought angrily, hurt deeply. _'How could he? How **could** he! I thought he loved me...I THOUGHT HE LOVED ME!'_

For a moment, she stopped crawling, and sat on the ground, trying to calm down. Her tears slowed, and her face began to dry at last. When the wave of pain had dissipated, she got up on her feet once more, and ran back to her cabin, packing her suitcase.

The next morning, at dawn, Rinoa began packing her things in her car. She wanted to get out before she had to see Seifer again. Anything to avoid seeing him again, to avoid hearing his voice again, to avoid the look in his eyes, to avoid the feeling of pain, to avoid wanting him to hold her again, and pretend nothing had happened the night before.

Too late for Rinoa; Seifer suddenly walked up to her cabin. He had a confused look on his face, but he still seemed quite smug. Rinoa glanced briefly; not feeling hurt, not wanting him back, but wanting to smash his face in. She rolled her eyes as she stuffed another bag in the trunk, thinking of that look.

_'Of course you're looking smug this morning,'_ she thought. _'It's because you fucked some whore last night.'_

Seifer came closer to her, reaching out to her. " Hey, Rinoa..." he asked, smirking. " Why are you packing everything up so early?" He started to put his arms around her. Rinoa pushed his arms away.

Confused, Seifer tried again. " You feeling okay, hun?" he asked, trying to nuzzle her neck.

This time, Rinoa slapped his hands, pulling them off of her. She avoided looking at him still; no sense in getting overly worked up.

Now Seifer was mad. " What's your problem!" he asked, stepping in front of her to look in her eyes.

" Oh, nothing, nothing at all." Rinoa replied cooly. " Did you **sleep well** last night?"

Seifer did his best to hold back a huge grin. " Oh, I slept okay," he replied smoothly. " Though," he added, his voice rumbling lowly, " It would have been even better if you had been there with me." He winked at her.

Now Rinoa glared at him. " Yeah, what a shame..." she replied. " I'm sure the **bitch** you had with you was a hell of a lot better, huh!"

Seifer suddenly became red faced and nervous. " Who!" he asked, stammering. " Wha-wha-I have no idea what you're talking about, uh, uh, uh..."

" Rinoa." she finished for him. " Of course, that's probably not the name you were calling last night in that fit of 'passion' you had, if that's what you want to call your boner. Now," she finished off emptily, " If you'll excuse me, I have a few more bags to pack before I can get out of here, and I have a lot of places to be, and certain times I have to arrive there." She walked around the man, whom was extremely dumbfounded, and, going inside the cabin, grabbed her last two bags. Wakling past him once more, she put the bags in her car, closed the door, and got inside the driver's side. Turning the key in the ignition, she prepared to drive off. Pausing slightly for a moment, she rolled down the window.

" Goodbye, Seifer." she said iciily. " Have a nice **life**."

With those words, she drove off, leaving Seifer in his own shame and anguish, as well as confusion.

That was the last time she had seen Seifer; she had heard things here and there about him. It was mostly about his family, usually his father in particular, but once in a while, Seifer would do something that the papers would bring up. For instance, the newest piece of news was about the toast he gave at his father's 45th birthday party. The press called it a very 'respectful, beautiful, and touching speech', unlike that they had ever heard an nineteen year old give.

When Rinoa read the article, she rolled her eyes.

_'Pfft.'_ she thought. _'I'm a year younger than him, and I'll bet my toast to my father was even better than his!_'

The sad part about that opinion, however, was that Rinoa hadn't toasted to her father since she was fourteen. Of course, as far as she was concerned, she hadn't given a very good toast, being that was four years earlier, and she didn't really get along well with her father.

Rinoa sighed, closing her eyes for a moment, enjoying the wonderful ocean breeze. She shivered slightly; it felt like the temperature was dropping. She opened her eyes, and noticed storm clouds coming. Sighing, she went inside the house before it began to rain.

Author's Note: I hope this chapter isn't too weird; I haven't written in quite a while now. I'm worried I may have lost my touch...

For anyone and everyone who has followed my work: I hope you're following this as well, and I hope I don't disappoint.

For all who are new to my work: I hope you like this story, and if you want to see what I've done in the past, I have two fanfics, so feel free to check my profile, and take a peek at my previous work.

Love, TrinForever a.k.a. Viviya

P.S. For all you Squall fans (and any of the other characters on FF8) hang on, I'm gonna be adding everyone in as the story continues.


	2. New Places, New Faces

Deepest Emotions; Chapter 2

**New Places, New Faces**

Disclaimer: I did not create any of the characters in this story (So far we have Rinoa and Seifer, and we'll have two more for this chapter)

Rinoa sat on the train, every once in a while drifting off, falling asleep. She was thankful her father wasn't coming once again; he would be telling her how she needed to go to college, start a brilliant career, and become rich, as he had.

_'That sick fool,'_ she thought to herself, rolling her eyes. _'He doesn't get it. Money isn't everything; you can't have everything you want. Now, if only he had some **intelligence**...maybe **then** he would see..._'

She started to close her eyes once more to fall asleep. She had to wake up at three in the morning to make sure she would have everything ready on time to leave, and she was tired. She was used to sleeping a couple of hours longer, but since the train left at 5:30, she didn't get to have the luxury. Now, as the train sped across the countryside, she dozed wearily, awaiting her destination, and whatever may come during the next month.

As she began to fall asleep, she heard someone come into her coach. She sighed sleepily.

_'Probably the conductor...'_ she thought, sitting up to hand him her ticket.

To her surprise, it wasn't the conductor at all. A dark haired man sat down across from Rinoa, his hair covering his eyes as he looked down at the floor. Puzzled, Rinoa sat forward slightly.

" Hello..." she said polietly. " Umm...my name is Rinoa."

The man didn't say anything. To Rinoa, he seemed to be somewhere in his mid-twenties, but she couldn't really tell anything about him as long as he hung his head, and kept silent.

_'Not a conversationalist, huh?'_ she thought. _'What the hell is he doing here in my coach, anyway?'_

" What's your name?" she asked, trying again.

The man was still silent. Rinoa was becoming annoyed.

_'Why won't he say anything!'_ she thought. _'It's not like he's a fucking mute...is he?'_

" Can you say anything at all?" she asked, trying not to sound cross.

At long last, the man looked up at her, his piercing blue eyes freezing her in her seat. Now Rinoa could tell; he wasn't very much older than her at all.

_'His gaze is so intense!'_ she thought, feeling nervous for some unknown reason. _'And his eyes...they're so deep...and blue...HEY! Forget it!'_

" So," she asked again. " What is your name?"

The stranger was silent for a while. Finally, he spoke. " My name is Squall." he said.

Rinoa smiled slightly. _'Well, at least he's polite enough to answer me!'_ she thought.

" Okay...Squall..." she said slowly, thinking of what else to say. " Do you have a last name, Squall?"

Squall's expression never changed; he had a rough expression, though Rinoa couldn't quite place the emotion. She studied his face momentarily, suddenly realizing that she was staring. She hoped he didn't notice.

" You didn't share your last name with me." he replied quietly, looking to the floor again.

Rinoa softened her expression and voice, hoping that would break the ice a bit. " Oh, I'm sorry!" she replied kindly, " How rude of me! My name is Rinoa Caraway."

Squall was silent. He didn't seem to care about what Rinoa was saying. Rinoa grew angry again.

_'I'm trying my best here, dammit!'_ she thought. _'What the hell is wrong with you!'_

" What's your last name?" she asked yet again.

Squall muttered something under his breath. Rinoa glared at him, trying to look him in the eye.

" What was that?" she asked, her voice becoming harsh.

"...I said, I don't really care to share it." he replied, looking out the window.

" I don't believe you!" Rinoa exclaimed, jumping up. " You come in here; in **my** cabin, unannounced, and _then_ when I try to make polite conversation, you brush me off! What the hell is your problem!"

Suddenly, Squall stood up. Rinoa backed up slightly, a bit nervous. She didn't think he would hurt her, but she didn't want to take the chance of being wrong. He had muscles, she could tell; though it was difficult to see with the jacket he was wearing. He seemed to be rather strong, and she had fleeting thoughts of being sent flying across the room.

Rather, memories.

" Excuse me. I apologize for the intrusion, Miss Caraway." he said quietly, leaving without looking at her again.

As the door shut, Rinoa sat down in disgust. _'People today...'_ she thought angrily. _'They just don't have any manners!'_

Sighing, she closed her eyes, and tried to fall asleep, but the aggrivation from the unexpected visit from Squall made it difficult to relax.

Suddenly, the conductor woke her up.

" Miss," he said mannerly, " We have almost arrived at the station. I would suggest you prepare for the arrival."

" Oh..." she said, yawning slightly. " Thank you very much."

After the conductor left the coach, Rinoa streched out, and sat up for a moment. Then, she got up, and made sure her hair wasn't a mess. As she was doing this, the train stopped, and an announcement was made over the intercom.

" Please watch your step as you exit the train. For those traveling in the luxury coaches, please meet the porter on the platform, as they will be required to help you pack your things in your vehicle."

" That means me, I guess..." Rinoa said quietly, checking one last time to make sure she looked okay, then leaving the coach.

Getting off the train, she ran into someone on the platform.

" Oh, I'm so sorry!" she apologized, flustered.

The girl she bumped into smiled at her. " No problem!" she replied, " No need to apologize! I wasn't watching where I was going, anyway. Sayyyy...where are you headed?"

" Oh! Well..." Rinoa replied, " I have to go get the keys to my rental car, meet up with the porter for my bags, and then I'm headed to the waterside."

" Wow, I'm headed for the waterside, too!" the girl replied. Rinoa observed that she was extremely bubbly. " You wouldn't by any chance be staying at the condos in the Blue Laguna, would you?"

" Actually..." Rinoa said, " Yes, I am."

" Wow, me too!" the girl replied happily. Suddenly, she held out her hand. " By the way, my name's Selphie Tilmutt!"

Rinoa smiled. _'Finally, someone polite! _' she thought, shaking Selphie's hand. " Rinoa," she said kindly. " Rinoa Caraway."

" Great!" Selphie said. " Nice to meetcha! I guess we'll be neighbors for now, huh? How long are you staying?"

" About a month." Rinoa replied.

" Cool, me too!" Selphie said, grinning.

_'Wow...'_ Rinoa thought, _'This girl is **really** bubbly!'_

" Say, um, Rinoa..." Seliphie said shyly, " Can I ask you a favor?"

" Sure." Rinoa replied.

" Do you think, um...maybe I could ride with you to the condos?" she asked, a bit embarrassed. " You see...I forgot to rent a car, and I don't know how to get there...if you say no, I'm sure I can get a cab, but I thought, you know, even though we only just met..."

" No problem, Selphie." Rinoa replied. " Come on, let's get out of here."

Selphie's face lit up. " WOOHOO!" she exclaimed. " We're gonna have so much **fun**!"

Rinoa laughed, and they made their way to the parking lot.

Rinoa turned the key in the lock, and opened the door to what would be her new home for the next month. She smiled as she looked inside, the sun shining in through the window.

" It's beautiful here..." she said quietly to herself, closing the door behind her as she set down her first few bags. She explored each room slowly before going back outside to get the rest of her things. All the walls were wallpapered, and there was a small vase of flowers arranged in each room. No two vases were alike, and every flower was bright and beautiful. The bedroom had a nice, soft bed, and the living room had a big TV, as well as a loveseat, a sofa, and a recliner set in the corner. The kitchen was small, but Rinoa wasn't worried too much about that.

_'It's not like I'm going to be cooking a huge dinner anyway...'_ she thought, sighing as she stepped out on the balcony. She held onto the railing, staring out at the brilliant ocean laid out before her along the horizon, and closed her eyes, thinking about all the things that could happen this time.

_'Let it come...'_ she thought, willing the summer to knock her off her feet.

In the meantime, somewhere not too far away, Seifer Almasy was talking on the phone.

" How is the plan coming along?" he asked.

" Rather well." the person on the other end replied. " I believe she took the bait."

" Good." Seifer replied, grinning evily. " Keep in close contact with her; I want to know everything she does."

" Understood."

As Seifer set the phone down on it's hook, he chuckled to himself.

" Rinoa will regret having ever left me." he said quietly, his plan already in play.

Author's note: (27-03-05) Chapter two! Hopefully by the time this is posted, I'll have some reviews (god, how I've missed getting reviews!) If there are any reviews, I'll put my thanks and the names of my fans down here in my notes. If anyone has any suggestions, I'll consider using them, but whether or not I use them, I'll still put my appreciation down here as well.

Love, TrinForever, aka Viviya


	3. Confusion

Deepest Emotions, Chapter 3

**Confusion**

Disclaimer: I did not create any of the characters in this story (though I want to thank the brilliant minds who **did**! LoL)

" Rinoa will regret having ever left me..." Seifer said quietly to himself, his plan already in play.

Back at the Blue Laguna, Rinoa had just finished unpacking all of her things, and had some free time to walk around the beach before dusk, when all the couples would take up the best spots for skygazing. She sighed as she strolled along the coastline, staring out into the big blue ocean.

_'I wish...'_ Rinoa thought sorrowfully, _'I wish I had someone I could stare at the sky with...'_

She stopped walking, and let the water lap up gently on her feet. Closing her eyes, she listened to the sounds all around her. The seagulls flying above, the ocean waves...

The running feet approaching her...

She opened her eyes, curious as to whom was running down the beach. Looking over, she saw a dark-haired man, running at a steady pace; exercising. As he came closer, she recognized him, and scowled in disgust.

_'Squall...'_ she thought, slightly annoyed. _'Perfect timing; had to come when I was feeling peaceful.'_

Somehow, she was compelled to look at him again. This time, when she did, she was able to see what he really looked like for the first time.

On the train, he had been heavily dressed, wearing a large, thick jacket. Now, out in a warmer climate, exercizing on the beach, he wore lighter clothing, and Rinoa saw that he was extremely fit; muscled, but not too muscley.

_'He probably has a six pack as well...'_ she thought, suddenly snapping to attention as she realized she was gawking. She sighed in relief as she looked away, red-faced.

_'Shit,'_ she thought, _'Another moment longer, and I may have even started drooling! Why the hell am I admiring him! I hate his fucking guts! He's rude, and...and...'_ Finally, she had to admit to herself that, aside from their first meeting, she didn't know anything about him at all. But, as she began pondering about their first meeting, another thought popped into her mind.

_'Wait a second...he's staying here!'_ she thought suddenly, bolting to catch up to him.

As she ran to stop him, she thought to herself, _'I was really more rude than he was. I suppose I should apologize...'_ The old Rinoa was coming back.

" Squall!" she shouted, " Wait up!"

Squall heard her, and stopped, turning to wait for her. When she caught up, she took a moment to calm her breathing.

" Yes?" he asked.

Looking up at him, she smiled. " I just wanted to stop you for a second and tell you," she said kindly, " That I'm sorry I was so rude to you on the train. I hadn't gotten much sleep, and I was being rather cranky. Do you think you could forgive me?"

Squall sighed. " I guess." he replied.

Rinoa smiled again. " Thank you so much!" she said. " So...are you vacationing here, too?"

Squall was silent for a moment, then he shrugged. " I guess." he replied.

" Cool." she said, looking out at the water. " Isn't it nice here?"

Squall looked at the water, but said nothing.

Rinoa sighed. _'He's doing it again...'_ she thought, but this time, she decided to be a bit more understanding.

" Not much of a talker, are you?" she asked, looking at him again.

He shrugged.

" Okay..." she said quietly. After thinking for a moment, she said, " By the way, you never told me your last name."

Silence. She continued.

" I mean, I did tell you my last name, but you didn't bother to tell me yours..." She stopped, and watched him expectantly.

Still silence. This annoyed Rinoa, but she figured that she would keep trying instead of blowing up.

" Doesn't it seem a little rude to you?" she asked.

" Doesn't it seem rude for you to persist when it seems I have no desire to tell you what my last name is!" he asked suddenly. It was very quiet, but Rinoa had heard it, and the first thing she felt was anger.

" **How dare you!**" she cried. " How dare you call me rude! You burned me out the last time I tried to make polite conversation with you, and yet, here I am again, trying to talk calmly with you, and what do I get? **I'm told that I'm rude!** Well, Mr...**Whatever the hell your name is!** You can **go** to hell, for all I care! **You're** the one that's rude...**MEANIE!**"

With that, Rinoa stormed away from the beach, leaving a quiet, and slightly disgruntled Squall behind.

_'Why the hell did I call him a '_meanie she thought to herself. _'He was a fucking asshole! Why did I say '_meanie'

Suddenly, someone ran up beside her. " Rinoa!" a voice exclaimed.

Despite the fact that Rinoa was angry, and she hadn't even been in the Blue Laguna for a whole day yet, she recognized the voice.

" Hi, Selphie." she said, slowing her pace a bit.

" What's wrong?" Selphie asked. " You seem upset about something..."

Rinoa sighed. " It was just some guy on the beach..." she said, trying to stay calm.

" Oh, you mean Squall?" she asked.

Rinoa stopped walking. " You know him?" she asked.

" Sure I do." Selphie replied. " He and I were in the same school since I can remember."

" You went to school with him!" Rinoa asked. " How the hell did you manage?"

Selphie giggled. " You make it sound like he's an impossible human being!" she teased. " Actually, he's just a really quiet person. He's been that way ever since I've known him, though it got worse when..." Suddenly, she grew quiet.

" When what?" Rinoa asked, curious.

" Nothing." Selphie replied. " It's nothing."

Rinoa sighed, disappointed. She felt like maybe she was actually learning something about a complex person. Almost like she was really interested in knowing more about him.

" Say!" Selphie exclaimed. " How about we go out for lunch? I've got this handy guide that has a list of really good places to eat! I'll treat ya!"

Rinoa nodded. " Sure," she replied. " Let's go."

At lunch, Selphie talked about all the things she was hoping to do during her vacation. But, for some reason, Rinoa couldn't quit thinking about Squall.

_'Why can't I quit it!'_ she thought to herself, hoping Selphie didn't notice she wasn't listening. _'He was rude to me twice! Though...Selphie said he doesn't talk much...but why? And what happened to him that Selphie got so quiet about? What isn't she telling me?'_

" So, what are you planning on doing, Rinoa?" Selphie suddenly asked.

Perfect timing for Rinoa, she had just snapped back to attention. " I was just planning on, you know, winging it." she said, sipping her drink. " See what happens..."

Back at the condo, Rinoa walked through the door to her room, kicking off her shoes as she entered. Sighing, she walked to the bedroom. She considered going swimming, but at the moment, she felt too tired to go out in the ocean, so she fell on the bed instead, and slowly dozed off. Even as she drifted off, she kept thinking about Squall, and it annoyed her.

_'Goddammit, why...?'_ she thought, at long last falling asleep.

Author's Note: (27-03-05) Woohoo, chapter three! Thankies muchly for the review, hija! Keep on reading!

Love, TrinForever, aka Viviya 333


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